China has eased entry restrictions for visitors from 36 European countries, months after thousands were left stranded when the country closed its borders and slashed flights to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
Almost all foreign nationals were forbidden from entering the country when Beijing imposed the measures in March, even those with Chinese work or residence permits or family living in the country.
But this week Beijing said it would relax some of the requirements for Europeans hoping to re-enter.
The new rules will allow European passport holders from 36 countries – including Britain, France and Germany – with a valid residence permit to apply for a visa without an invitation letter, the Chinese embassy in Berlin said in a statement on Wednesday.
Everyone returning to China has to reapply for their visa, as travel documents issued before the pandemic have been nullified.
China earlier allowed a small number of skilled foreign workers to return with special official invitation letters – a process which proved slow.
China’s foreign ministry said on Monday that European passport holders who qualified would be allowed to “apply for a Chinese visa free of charge”.
However, anyone coming from abroad is still subject to Covid-19 tests and a 14-day quarantine – and will still have to find a plane ticket, after Beijing ordered a drastic reduction in international air links at the end of March, and prices soared.
Some of the strict flight quotas are also being lifted, with Air France allowed to operate three weekly flights between China and France from the end of this month.
China has largely brought the spread of Covid-19 under control after the disease first emerged there late last year, but there has been a series of local clusters in recent months.
Source: SCMP